As a senior I have the opportunity to take classes at the local community college and I need advice on which classes to choose. I took AB/BC Calculus as a sophomore (B’s in the class and 4’s on the test) so would taking Calculus 3 be a strech or should I choose the safe option and take Calc 1 (again)?
Check the prerequisites for Calculus 3. There may be classes you have to take on the college level or a qualifying score that you need to get on a placement exam in order to be eligible for the class. College class names are different than high school, so College Calculus may not AB/BC Calculus because they may go into different topics or discuss topics at different levels, so read the course descriptions of the classes you are considering. Also talk to a college advisor at the local community college. Provide him/her with a copy of your transcript so they can know what classes you have taken and the subjects you are the strongest in. As a dual-enrolment student, I know that classes vary in rigor. In my experience, community college classes have been around the same level as an AP class (sometimes way easier), but they are structured differently. Every professor teaches differently so I would encourage you to look up your professors to see their teaching style and what past students have thought about them. It shouldn’t be the sole reason to take/not take a class, but it should be taken into consideration.
I got a 4 on the BC exam and did fine in Calculus III, although there were some gaps in my knowledge that I had to fill in. The prerequisite is usually Calculus II or a high enough score (4 or 5, sometimes 3) on the AP Calculus BC exam.
- DE classes must be taken seriously. Your grade in them matters.
- DE classes will be taught at a faster pace…your Calc BC is the equivalent of Calc 2 which was taught over a year…Calc 3, a difficult class, will be taught over a semester.
- College professors don’t really care if you fail…it is up to you to keep up and ask for help if you need it.
- DE courses are on a different schedule than HS…vacations are at different times.
- You have to be able to get to the CC.
I would ask your Calc professor or the Math Department head for their advice. How do students with B’s in Calc BC do in Calc3 at the CC?
I took Calc 3 at a university after taking Calc BC and getting a 5. For me, there was actually review, because we went over parametric and polar functions again. The funny thing was, I had to take it a different university than I was taking my other dual enrollment classes at because the other one wouldn’t take my AP credit and place me into multivariable calculus. If you feel like you would be tearing your hair out if you had to repeat a year of calculus, don’t do it.